Litigation

Holder Defends Handling of Car-Bomb Suspect

By Peter Hardin

In the newest round of controversy over terror suspects’ rights, Attorney General Eric Holder defended on Thursday the handling  of Faisal Shahzad, who was arrested after an attempted bombing of Times Square.

Reading the suspect his Miranda rights did not set back the investigation, Holder told a Senate panel, according to a post in The Blog of Legal Times.

“As we’ve seen in prior investigations, the giving of Miranda warnings has not deterred people from talking to us, and Mr. Shahzad is continuing to cooperate with us,” Holder said, according to an account in the Washington Post.

Sen. John McCain of Arizona and some other Republicans said Shahzad was read his Miranda rights too quickly, and other critics said he should be treated as an enemy combatant.

Sen. Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut Independent, said he believes U.S. citizens accused of terrorism should be stripped of their citizenship and turned over to military authorities, Politico reported.

A New York Times editorial took such politicians to task. Entitled “Fear Itself,” the editorial said it is time to stand up for the rule of law:

“Senators McCain and Lieberman say military trials will show strength. Abandoning democratic institutions in the face of terrorism is an act of surrender. It will not make this country safer. It will make it more vulnerable.”

In Huffington Post, Ed Gurowitz wrote a commentary headlined, “Who’s the Bigger Threat: Shahzad or McCain and Lieberman?” Fox News reported on Lieberman’s introducing legislation on terror suspects, clarifying that his bill would apply to Americans arrested abroad and not to Shahzad.

You may click here to learn more from Gavel Grab  about the longterm controversy over trying terror suspects.

Full post as published by The Gavel on May 06, 2010 (boomark / email).